Friday, April 15, 2011

Why is your body such a big deal?

"How weary we grow of our present bodies. That is why we look forward eagerly to the day when we shall have heavenly bodies which we shall put on like new clothes." ~ II Corinthians 5:2 TLB

I've gotten in the habit of doing something each day to invest in my body. Why spend time on our physical bodies? Let's look at God's Word. I Timothy 4:8 says, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." Some people have taken this one scripture in an unbalanced way and assumed that physical fitness really has no real value in our lives. Instead of focusing on the fact that it is actually of "some value" they assume because it is compared to godliness is has no value. While godliness certainly has greater value, physical training isn't a non-essential. I Corinthians 6:19 says, "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself..." There are many other passages that speak of wisdom in caring for ourselves. I think of Queen Esther who was a woman of God ~ beautiful both inside and out and she prepared physically for one year for the King. Wow!!

It is now my habit to bike one hour a day with the exception of Sundays. Some days I even do an hour and a half! On days when it rains I will go to the community gym, or most times I do my Leslie Sansone in home walking DVD's. Right now my favorite is the "Five Mile Walk." Normally when I do the DVD's Max and Maddie jump around and get excited and then after about a mile they lay down and watch me do the rest. It's quite comical. After I work out I treat myself to a bath in my favorite Bath and Body Works product: "Moonlight Path." Or sometimes I scrub down with Almond Salt Scrub from Lori's Soap & Sponge Market. I feel great when I'm done! Even when I'm tired before I start, I'm always glad I chose to push myself and do it.

This week I'm away on the cruise with Larry but I will still take time every day to do something good for my body. In fact, being away from work, I'll have unlimited time!

Why invest in the care of your body? It's the house for your soul and spirit while you are here on earth and it has to last during your entire time here. If it's not in good condition it could even wear completely out, and stop! This would be a hindrance to your purpose here on earth, to say the least. So take time to do at least one good thing to invest in your earthly "house" every day.

*This is a post that is pre-scheduled to publish while I'm unplugged this week. If you write in the comment thread and are wondering why I'm not responding it's because I'm off line for a few days. Thanks! :)